Toyota sees Asian markets as key to 10m sales goal
Toyota Motor Corp's sales plan that envisions the company becoming the world's first automaker to sell more than 10 million cars annually across the globe shows the carmaker's determination to establish itself as the world's largest.
Under the plan announced last week, Toyota plans to increase sales everywhere it operates. The company aims to increase sales in Asia by an ambitious 60 per cent in the coming three years.
However, Japan's domestic car market has been sluggish and there are fears the United States, the world's largest automobile market, will experience an economic slowdown. As such, reaching the target will not be a given.
To achieve its goal of selling 10.4 million cars in 2009, the key will be whether Toyota will be able to gain a good market share in China, which is expected to grow into a pillar of the wider Asian market.
At a press conference Friday in Tokyo, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe spoke of his determination to see Toyota becoming the biggest player in the industry, but said the company must keep its feet on the ground. "We'll make efforts to achieve this lofty goal, while cautioning ourselves not to become conceited or arrogant," he said.
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